Is The Only Certainty Uncertainty?
I don’t know about you, friends, but I find the world I now live in to be very troublesome and confusing. I scan the headlines daily looking for some sign that we are moving in this direction or that but I can find nothing that is clear. Instead there are numerous signs and most of them are contradictory!
The economic and financial crisis is still here apparently despite some rises on stock markets and a couple of banks reporting profits. Gurus report different forecasts: some gloomy, some filled with optimism. Some business experts suggest we are at the bottom and buy, buy, buy while others claim we ain’t seen the bottom yet, not by a long way. The strong regulation regime that was to be set in place is still in a twilight zone while politicians foot-drag for fear of upsetting the wealthy and/or because they don’t know what to do.
Unemployment continues to grow while interest rates continue to fall making life impossible for self-funded retirees. First home buyers in Australia get a grant of $21,000 and they are queuing up in their thousands to buy and take advantage of the low interest rates which is actually driving up prices hence canceling the advantage of the grant.
The global warming debate goes on and the world seems to be equally divided there as well. Views range from the end of the world is nigh to claims that the whole thing is a fabrication and nothing is happening that hasn’t happened a thousand times before. Country after country is claiming they can’t introduced greenhouse gas measures because that might cost jobs and the television is still filled with advertisements for gas-guzzling cars and SUVs.
NATO has been and gone and the war in Afghanistan goes on with its intensification looming ever closer. The U.S. seems to be putting pressure on Israel to accept a two-state solution while Benny grins and commits to nothing. Gaza is still in ruins and no building materials are being allowed in to rectify anything. Pakistan is still being attacked by American drones while suicide attacks occur in many places.
Obama and Chavez have kissed and Obama and Raul Castro are talking about making up. Obama has been hailed at the South American summit for stating that the U.S. is attending as a member and an equal not as the boss of the region. Meanwhile Obama is spending even more money that Bush on defense.
In Australia a boatload of refugees somehow blew themselves up and many are badly burned but what happened is unclear. Apparently refugees from war torn or starving nations are flooding the world currently and many countries are locking their borders or canceling visas.
Fiji has been taken over by a military despot while Thailand is in turmoil. British police are under suspicion for the manslaughter of an innocent newspaper seller, one who they claimed was a G20 protester who had a heart attack. A second examination of the man’s body revealed internal bleeding which a CCTV camera showed was caused by a crash tackle by a Bobby. In Germany, a woman jumped into a polar bear enclosure and was badly bitten for her trouble. In Mexico the drug cartels fight the Mexican army using American assault rifles…
Friends, I could go on listing for hours. I won’t bore you with it all. All I would ask is that, if you can make sense of our world or even see a few clear signs as to which direction it’s heading in, please let me know because, currently, I’m totally at a loss.
Help!
I agree almost totally. It is hard to make any plans for the future when you have no idea what that future is going to be like. My husband and I had been making plans for when he retires in 2 years, but now he doesn’t know if he will be able to retire fully and we doubt if any of the plans we made will ever be realized. We lost half our retirement savings with the stock market crash and we see a much poorer future ahead of us. With no real idea what that furure will be like.
The only thing I disagree with is the statement that there is disagreement about global warming. Yes, there are a few people on the far right with ties to the coal and oil industries that claim it is all natural or even global cooling, but all respected scientists in that field agree that global warming is manmade and getting worse. The only real debate is about how much we can increase our carbon output before disaster occurs. Some say 350, which is higher than we have now, while others say 450.
All I know is that the climate is changing. Here in the northern US winters are much milder than they where 20 or 30 years ago. Even my children have remarked that we don’t have winters like we did when they where kids. This year we had the worse winter in the last 10 years, but it was nothing like what is used to be like. It just doesn’t get as cold as it used to.
What is really crazy is the fact that we know this is happening yet we continue to burn carbon based fuel as if they where harmless. With gas prices down the sale of alternative cars is way down. Nobody seems to be able to live beyond the moment or to think about how their actions will someday effect their children and grandchildren.
I am sure if the economy picks up most of us will go back to our borrow and spend party until the next crash comes.
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David, that German woman in the Polar Bear’s den at feeding time really threw me as I have tried to figure out What the greater message is – other than plain ol foolish insanity. Talk about a Chaos Theory. Our world seems in some freefall.
Intellectually I don’t see hope on any horizons despite what Prez O says – except for smiling and talking with H.Chavez. My hope comes from the natural world. It is spring here. It is hard to be too curmudgeonly when cute little birds birds are singing and the flowers blooming. While I am cash poor, I have been graced with space to heal and a part time job that works around my weekly sick days
After my husband’s nervous breakdown and repercussive effects after his first plane fight! and I got my neck broke at a chiropractor, we were homeless and on public assistance and lived in a tent in someone’s back yard with our two yr old son,..things got worse before they got better! However, at the dark time in our lives, I kept thinking, ‘what if this is all a test?’ That thought strengthened my resolve to remain inwardly positive. I kept tinking if this was all a test to see what I was Really made of. Because everyone can be at their best when everything is going good, but when they turn south, everything is bad is a true test of your basic beliefs and who you are.
“Above all, don’t fear difficult moments,” she said. “The best comes from them.”
a quote from Rita Levi Montalcini, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, said Saturday that even though she is about to turn 100, her mind is sharper than it was she when she was 20.
Of course, being able to eat decent and clean, comfortable shelter are basic to making a stable life possible, but how a person views a situation has Alot to do with it.
Peace.
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It is very sad to hear stories like those above.Our world is in chaos and more confused then it has been in my lifetime(42). I do not know how we will come out the otherside .I know it will have to be the people to take action because our government does not hear us .We should be reviveing homesteads were people can grow there own healthy foods community gardens as well and be more self reliant.WE have to set up a way to transition to a different way of life developing a more localized real economy.people driveing 2+ hrs a day doesnt make any sense there is so much waste and grabbing for the latest giant t v.I am truly at the point i think these fantasy free market theories are really a mental disease.And to have a country like ours(usa) Spend twice as much of the rest of the world combined on military spending and not give everybody medical coverage is just immoral.
GOOD LUCK TO ALL
Jeff
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David G Reply:
April 20th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
Thanks for calling by Jeff! Your comment is very apt.
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Jeannie and Grace, I suppose the lesson to be learned is that we humans must learn to live with uncertainty.
When I was growing up, the world was largely a place of certainty. People put others first, were satisfied with little, found pleasure in simple things like reading and family life, etc.
Then came the me-first generation and suddenly greed and materialism were elevated into a religion. Also America began its clumsy imperialism and we had the Cold War, a series of booms and busts, and the possibility of nuclear war, etc. Uncertainty became the prevailing dynamic in the world and people became increasingly stressed and anxious.
Tomorrow is unknown. We have to live with that reality.
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Please stop the world, I want to get off. The only uncertainity about certainty is that we may certainly destroy ourselves, were just uncertain of the matter of when and how.
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Kemosobi, I feel the same way. Problem is we’re stuck here in this madhouse with no options…except one!
P.S. Get drunk!
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There are two sides to the climate change issue:
1. The intelligent view that knows that clean is better.
2. The view promoted by countess of millions of dollars provided by Big Polluter (GM, Oil) to maintain the dirty agenda. It produces junk science and sells, as the average person can not reject it, or is so happy to sooth the conscience to operate the Big Guzzler.
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The economic crisis is not improving, despite the fact that the people who caused this crisis insist that things are getting better. Stocks are rising because of what will likely become known as the “Geithner Bubble” (after the US Treasury Secretary) who is working with the US Federal Reserve to flood the markets with cash (ex: giving banks free money). This is causing unfounded and rather dangerous optimism.
As for global warming, well, by in large, the scientific community believes that global warming is a problem. And one that threatens our viability as a species.
In Israel, the new Prime Minister has indicated that the 2 state solution is a “dead end” to the Obama administration, meaning that the Likud party does not wish to continue the previous administration’s negotiations. Given that the Likud party campaigned on “more violence” (and the recent war waged by the “moderate” opposition), I would say that peace in the Middle East is for now, a lost cause.
Most of the confusion, I think lies in the fact that there are people in this world who are simply dishonest. And they wish to be dishonest for their own gains.
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Ken, certainly those making money from fossil fuels are trying to hijack the global warming debate. It just shows how stupid they are!
Chris, your observations are valued.
Cheers.
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Live with uncertainty, while we still live. Which won’t be a helluva lot longer, I’m sure. Oh, people could change things; the vast majority of the poor and oppressed could rise up and take control, save the world, halt global warming, end idiotic, profit-driven wars, etc. But we probably won’t. Because we live in the modern age, with modern toys, and boy are we distracted. Even now, while everything across the globe melts down, we still won’t look our governments in the eye and say, “NO MORE.” Maybe we will, eventually. I hope it’s before I get too old to take part. The POC (People of Conscience) of the world have two choices, and an increasingly short amount of time to pick one: Defeat evil, or drown with it.
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I have to say that I do agree whit the horrible state of the world now. But chaos is part of what human nature thrives on. Without it we would be nothing. I do think that there needs to be changes in the way things are done in all aspects of nature and politics. If more of us would just tell it like it is or atleast be honest we would have a chance at survivng the impending disaster that everyone is so sure is coming. As far as organized religion is concerned, I myself think it is a brillant con. But i also realize that without it millions of people would be lost. There are more sheep out there that need to be led by someone or something for the simple reason they have never attempted to think for themselves. Its sad and its frustrating to me to know that there is sooooo many out there who are afraid to try. Our destiny is our own to create and follow, instead of thanking god or allah etc… I thank myself when something goes the way I hoped for. Try it sometime and see how it makes you feel. As far as the population increase I agree that it is ridiculous that all these babies are being born to women that have NO way to take care of them. Here in the states they just get the welfare dept to pay them. the more they have the more money they get. Great career choice HUH? Well thats all for now I will check back to see if anyone agrees with me.
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David G Reply:
April 24th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
Welcome, Laura. In Australia we also have females who make child-bearing a career because of generous welfare payments. It’s a dead end street for them and their children grow up and do the same!
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